Scribing instrument



Oct. 13, 1953 F, PHELPS 2,654,953

SCRIBING INSTRUMENT Filed May 11, 1951 Louis -F. Phelps INVENTOR.

Attornqs Patented Oct. 13, 1953 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE SCRIBING INSTRUMENT Louis F. Phelps, Flint, Mich.

Application May 11, 1951, Serial No. 225,795

1 Claim. 1

This invention relates to new and useful improvements and structural refinements in scribing instruments, and the principal object of the invention is to provide an instrument of the character herein described, which may be conveniently and expeditiously employed for marking linoleum or other covering material preparatory to cutting, so that the material properly fits the contour of a molding or trim on the work which is to be covered.

Some of the advantages of the invention reside in its extreme simplicity of construction, in its expeditious and dependable operation, and in its adaptability to economical manufacture.

With the above more important objects and features in view and such other objects and features as may become apparent as this specification proceeds, the invention consists essentially of the arrangement and construction of parts as illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of the invention;

Figure 2 is a sectional view illustrating the invention is use, this view being taken substantially in the plane of line 22 in Figure 3, and

Figure 3 is an end view of the invention, taken in the direction of the arrow 3 in Figure 1.

Like characters of reference are employed to designate like parts in the specification and throughout the several views.

Referring now to the accompanying drawings in detail, the invention consists of a scribing instrument which is designated generally by the reference character I and embodies in its construction a substantially fiat lower blade or guide bar l2 having a relatively narrow, down-turned end portion which constitutes a guide I4. An angulated upper blade or scribing bar I6 has a substantially flat portion l8 thereof superposed on the outer end portion of the blade I2, the two superposed portions of the two blades being rigidly secured together by means of a suitable handle 2!], as will be clearly apparent.

The angulated portion of the blade I6 is of substantially inverted U-shape and overlies the blade l2 and includes a down-turned end portion 22 terminating in a relatively sharp scriber point 24, said end portion 22, the scriber point 24 and the guide I4 being vertically co-planar, as is best Shown in Figure 2.

When the invention is placed in use, the guide I4 is engaged with a molding or trim 26 on the edge of the work 28 which is to be covered with the covering material 30, and an edge portion of the material 30 which hangs over the trim 26 is interposed in the space between the blade I2 and the upwardly offset portion of the blade I6.

It is to be understood in this connection that the blade I6 is formed from resilient material so that the prong 22 together with the scriber point 24 may move vertically toward and away from 2 the blade I2, whereby insertion of the material 39 between the two blades is facilitated.

In any event, by sustaining the guide [4 in engagement with the trim 26 and pressing down- Wardly on the angulated portion of the blade I6, the scriber point 24 will be caused to mark or draw a line on the material 30 as the instrument is moved along the edge of the trim. Since the scriber point 24 is vertically aligned with the guide I4, the line marked on the material 30 will coincide in contour and location with the inside edge of the molding 26, so that when the excess is subsequently severed from the material 39, the finished edge of the material 30 will accurately conform to the contour of the molding 26.

It is believed that the advantages and use of the invention will be clearly understood from the foregoing disclosure and accordingly, further description thereof at this point is deemed un necessary.

While in the foregoing there has been shown and described the preferred embodiment of this invention, it is to be understood that minor changes in the details of construction and arrangement of parts may be resorted to without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as claimed.

Having described the claimed as new is:

A linoleum scribing instrument comprising, a flat, metallic guide bar, a fiat, resilient scribing bar superimposed on the guide bar in face abutting engagement therewith and including a substantially inverted U-shaped end portion overlying the corresponding end portion of said guide bar and terminating in an integral, depending scribing point on its free end spaced from the free end portion of the guide bar for receiving the linoleum therebetween, an integral, depending guide on the free end of the guide bar substantially in the vertical plane of the scribing point, said scribing bar with the point thereon being bendable toward and cooperable with the guide bar for scribing the linoleum, and a handle enclosing the other end portions of the bars and securing said bars together.

invention, what is LOUIS F. PHELPS.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 2,287,601 Callaghan June 23, 1942 2,409,106 Connelly Oct. 8, 1946 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 381,715 Great Britain Oct. 13, 1932 OTHER REFERENCES Popular Mechanics, June 1944, page 92. 

